Corned Beef

[perentie]

Like a lot of us I like to carry a can or two of corned beef in the camper and to eat at home when I cant be bothered cooking. There is lots to choose from but most are pretty ordinary. So researching the best corned beef I came across Ox and Palm. Gets reviews as the best ever. I thought I would buy some to try. No go, its all exported even though its canned here in Wagga Wagga. The yanks love it and the only way we can get it is through Ebay or Amazon at a highly inflated price.
You would think there must be a way, even buy in bulk from the factory door or something.
https://www.oxandpalmcornedbeef.com/our-quality/
https://www.amazon.com.au/Ox-Palm-Corne ... B08GHYT56P
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12578730064 ... RwujTbVjUL

[deye243]

Bugger that I do my own with kangaroo legs

[bigrich]

Like a lot of us I like to carry a can or two of corned beef in the camper and to eat at home when I cant be bothered cooking. There is lots to choose from but most are pretty ordinary. So researching the best corned beef I came across Ox and Palm. Gets reviews as the best ever. I thought I would buy some to try. No go, its all exported even though its canned here in Wagga Wagga. The yanks love it and the only way we can get it is through Ebay or Amazon at a highly inflated price.
You would think there must be a way, even buy in bulk from the factory door or something.
https://www.oxandpalmcornedbeef.com/our-quality/
https://www.amazon.com.au/Ox-Palm-Corne ... B08GHYT56P
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12578730064 ... RwujTbVjUL

like a lot of our better produce and seafood , it get's exported and australian's get stuck with crap . never used to be like that.....

[GreyDog]

[quote=,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
like a lot of our better produce and seafood, it get's exported and australian's get stuck with crap . never used to be like that.....[/quote]

So true, but it's a sad reality (i.m.o.).
I'm at the age of realising that most (not all) people are just out to get the most ($ or benefit) for themselves any way they can, regardless of negative impacts on neighbours/relatives or Australian citizens. I think it is something in our human DNA/genetic makeup.
So, a beef producer, cray-fisher or anyone else with a product that can earn more from exporting than catering for the domestic market goes down that line. Totally understandable in the society we have let flourish i.m.o. Not that I condone it - quite the opposite!
Back to the O.P. I've fond memories of cans of corned beef and spam from 40 + years ago. It served a purpose at the time as a back-up meal when required, when out bush.
I watch with interest, to see whether anyone has found a decent canned meat/beef option readily available these days.

[No1Mk3]

Hamper does me. But if you want Palm, the Made in NZ variety, International Groceries in Loganholme have it.

[rossfrb]

Making your own isn't that difficult if you have the inclination.
Basically get a cut of beef that appeals to you, brine overnight with any seasonings you want and then either boil or souse vide. Cut into meal sized pieces that suite you and vac seal and freeze. Or will keep for a few days in the fridge.
If you're into that sort of thing it is quite satisfying.

[NTSOG]

rossfrb: "Basically get a cut of beef that appeals to you, brine overnight with any seasonings ..."

Ross I'm curious. Whenever we kill a beast, we make corn beef. The farm butcher injects the meat with a brine mix, and we leave the meat to soak for about 8-10 days in the brine before cutting it into sections for freezing. You only soak the meat overnight? How does that work?

Jim

[Wapiti]

We've gone to making everything from scratch for awhile now, and it's really not difficult at all.

The knowledge of the preservatives in any food that's been meddled with and processed in any way is what's causing all the issues with people's health that wasdn't present a few generations ago. All types of cancers, perverted cells and human function diseases has come from processed food.
We're collectively even killing our pets.
What I've been shown in official medical literature on what this is doing to the human body is unbelievable, I cannot understand how the global food industry has been infested by evil and scandal and just glossed over. Just basically excepted.
As was mentioned above, you make it yourself. It won't contribute to your agonising death intubated in a cold impersonal hospital then.

[Willie]

I used to like Camp Pie with fried eggs. Not good for the old bod, though, apparently.

[bladeracer]

rossfrb: "Basically get a cut of beef that appeals to you, brine overnight with any seasonings ..."

Ross I'm curious. Whenever we kill a beast, we make corn beef. The farm butcher injects the meat with a brine mix, and we leave the meat to soak for about 8-10 days in the brine before cutting it into sections for freezing. You only soak the meat overnight? How does that work?

Jim

Rose puts the roasts into plastic bags with salt, thyme, paprika and bay leaves and puts them in the fridge for a couple weeks. The salt draws the moisture out of the meat so the bag becomes very wet, though the meat is not exactly immersed in water.

[bladeracer]

Like a lot of us I like to carry a can or two of corned beef in the camper and to eat at home when I cant be bothered cooking. There is lots to choose from but most are pretty ordinary. So researching the best corned beef I came across Ox and Palm. Gets reviews as the best ever. I thought I would buy some to try. No go, its all exported even though its canned here in Wagga Wagga. The yanks love it and the only way we can get it is through Ebay or Amazon at a highly inflated price.
You would think there must be a way, even buy in bulk from the factory door or something.
https://www.oxandpalmcornedbeef.com/our-quality/
https://www.amazon.com.au/Ox-Palm-Corne ... B08GHYT56P
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/12578730064 ... RwujTbVjUL

I don't mind a can of spam occasionally. I just scoop it out of the can in wedges with a knife, wrap a slice of bread around it and eat it.

[Wapiti]

I used to like Camp Pie with fried eggs. Not good for the old bod, though, apparently.

Apparently mate? Don't fall for it, home-made from scratch is what our bodies evolved to eat.
It's the terribly evil seed oils, fake milk made from grains, chemicals made in labs, that's what's killing us. According to people's terrible health afflictions when looking at their diets. The common denominators are there with those consuming them.

Made yourself without the numbers in the additives, with real butter and eggs, it's exactly what the human body is supposed to have.
VERY limited use of grains, only problem is the pastry we insist on wrapping everything in...

Something my super-fit brother said, who's a 56yo medical doc and psychiatrist who lectures on this and mental health worldwide on invitation, if you can pick it from a tree or club it over the head, kill it and consume everything it offers, that's what we evolved to eat. Something my wife also tells her patients.
Since I went that way, I've never been stronger or had more energy.

Sorry for the thread creep, that's my fault.
One should never give political or dietary opinion online, reasonable sane discussion is impossible.

[bladeracer]

Absolutely agree, Wapiti.
I get my fruit straight off the trees, love blackberry season. Go for a scout around the pistol club grounds gorging the blackberrys when I go in. We've had oranges for the last six months, and still getting them. Apples will be coming very soon. Our meat enjoys a great life in the paddocks. We'd like to get a few sheep to augment the beef still.

Bloody foxes have decimated our chooks recently, took three of them yesterday. So we're building a new yard for them roday. Idiots refuse to stay in safety behind the electric fence though, they want to be out roaming around chasing foxes.

Apparently mate? Don't fall for it, home-made from scratch is what our bodies evolved to eat.
It's the terribly evil seed oils, fake milk made from grains, chemicals made in labs, that's what's killing us. According to people's terrible health afflictions when looking at their diets. The common denominators are there with those consuming them.

Made yourself without the numbers in the additives, with real butter and eggs, it's exactly what the human body is supposed to have.
VERY limited use of grains, only problem is the pastry we insist on wrapping everything in...

Something my super-fit brother said, who's a 56yo medical doc and psychiatrist who lectures on this and mental health worldwide on invitation, if you can pick it from a tree or club it over the head, kill it and consume everything it offers, that's what we evolved to eat. Something my wife also tells her patients.
Since I went that way, I've never been stronger or had more energy.

Sorry for the thread creep, that's my fault.
One should never give political or dietary opinion online, reasonable sane discussion is impossible.

[rossfrb]

rossfrb: "Basically get a cut of beef that appeals to you, brine overnight with any seasonings ..."

Ross I'm curious. Whenever we kill a beast, we make corn beef. The farm butcher injects the meat with a brine mix, and we leave the meat to soak for about 8-10 days in the brine before cutting it into sections for freezing. You only soak the meat overnight? How does that work?

Jim

I try to avoid the use of nitrites (the stuff that gives corned beef its distinctive colour) so I'm not game to soak for a long period as I also don't want food poisoning either.
I use smaller cuts of beef and find that overnight around 7% salt solution works for me.
Maybe calling it corned beef is a bit of a stretch.

[fussy]

"like a lot of our better produce and seafood , it get's exported and australian's get stuck with crap . never used to be like that....."

Yep, we export lobster to China, but they're making a fuss about antibiotics from nearby (10 km) salmon farms, as china has strict import laws about food quality...for the consumption of the big guys, not the peasants.
Peasants (and customers overseas like us) have to put up with flammable children's clothes...

[Bugman]

I used to like Camp Pie with fried eggs. Not good for the old bod, though, apparently.

I still like the odd bit of tinned corned beef, myself. In moderation, it can't do much harm, according to my GP, but me thinks he means, just one can every 12 months.

[alexjones]

I bought a harvest right dehydrator and make my own MREs. Chicken, pasta, steak, fruit, vegetables, everything I got.

[Fester]

Campie and spam lol, sounds like a decent tinned meat has still not been invented.
I remember both as a desperate walk in camp food as a kid.
I tried it again as a reminder and never touched it since.

Blokes doing corned veno reckon it's the best corned meat ever, not just their opinion, the wives and non game meat eaters seem to agree.

The pump method is said to be ideal, but when I try it, the syringe will be good enough.

[bladeracer]

Campie and spam lol, sounds like a decent tinned meat has still not been invented.
I remember both as a desperate walk in camp food as a kid.
I tried it again as a reminder and never touched it since.

Blokes doing corned veno reckon it's the best corned meat ever, not just their opinion, the wives and non game meat eaters seem to agree.

The pump method is said to be ideal, but when I try it, the syringe will be good enough.

Been years since I've had Camp Pie.

I took a can of Spam with me for the weekend. I just dig slices of it out of the can with a knife, lay it on a slice of bread, fold it and eat it. Don't mind the old Spam, it fills the empty hole pretty nicely. For five days of food I took two loafs of wholemeal bread, a loaf of raisin bread, a can of Spam, two packets of sliced corned beef, a packet of sliced cheese, a packet of Arnotts biscuits, three jars of pineapple chunks, four Mars Bars, three-litres of apple juice, and 25L of water. I don't bother with eskies or fridges so my supplies have to be pretty tough, I don't want anything that'll go off in five days in a hot car. I packed up to come home still with the raisin loaf, half the cheese (which had melted into a solid oily lump on day one), half the Spam, one biscuit, one Mars Bar, one jar of pineapple chunks, and 12L of the water. So I scoffed the Spam, the biscuit and the Mars Bar for lunch and hit the road. Rose had corned beef waiting for me when I got home at 2030 (I stopped in town for an air pistol match). I ate the remains of my supplies yesterday arvo. I had to fast from Monday evening for blood tests on Tuesday morning, but stuff happened and I didn't get the bloods taken until 1430, finally got home after 1600 starving. Get the results of the lead levels on Friday.

We had Rose's corned beef again tonight, very nice.

[Fester]

Campie and spam lol, sounds like a decent tinned meat has still not been invented.
I remember both as a desperate walk in camp food as a kid.
I tried it again as a reminder and never touched it since.

Blokes doing corned veno reckon it's the best corned meat ever, not just their opinion, the wives and non game meat eaters seem to agree.

The pump method is said to be ideal, but when I try it, the syringe will be good enough.

Been years since I've had Camp Pie.

I took a can of Spam with me for the weekend. I just dig slices of it out of the can with a knife, lay it on a slice of bread, fold it and eat it. Don't mind the old Spam, it fills the empty hole pretty nicely. For five days of food I took two loafs of wholemeal bread, a loaf of raisin bread, a can of Spam, two packets of sliced corned beef, a packet of sliced cheese, a packet of Arnotts biscuits, three jars of pineapple chunks, four Mars Bars, three-litres of apple juice, and 25L of water. I don't bother with eskies or fridges so my supplies have to be pretty tough, I don't want anything that'll go off in five days in a hot car. I packed up to come home still with the raisin loaf, half the cheese (which had melted into a solid oily lump on day one), half the Spam, one biscuit, one Mars Bar, one jar of pineapple chunks, and 12L of the water. So I scoffed the Spam, the biscuit and the Mars Bar for lunch and hit the road. Rose had corned beef waiting for me when I got home at 2030 (I stopped in town for an air pistol match). I ate the remains of my supplies yesterday arvo. I had to fast from Monday evening for blood tests on Tuesday morning, but stuff happened and I didn't get the bloods taken until 1430, finally got home after 1600 starving. Get the results of the lead levels on Friday.

We had Rose's corned beef again tonight, very nice.

Cool, are you car camping, or walking backcountry in the high country?
I don't have a fridge, but take a medium-sized esky with frozen water bottles, good for a few days if kept in the shade.
It's more for bringing veno home, just how I do it, butcher warm, vac-pack, and chuck it in to cool slowly.
After a big 1-day hunt including 4hrs drive, I just get home and chuck it in the fridge, lock up the rifle and veg out.

The only answer I have in modern life is balance and moderation.
Junk food no more than once a week. I like beer so limit to 2 nights and don't start till 5pm.
Seems to work as I can maintain a steady weight.
I trained twice a week with cardio and weights from about age 48 to 60, but it's a vicious circle with a bad back and the rest of the body a bit well-worn.

A mate pigged out on 3 hot dogs, known as a highly processed death food.
His doctor went through the results and said what in hell did you eat.
It must have shown clearly.

Maybe spam is the better tasting one, but I think I will just stay clear and try the corned veno sooner or later.

Now they are finding that it may be the chemicals leaching out of the plastic wrappings that is causing the scary increase in youth cancers and when you think back to childhood days, milk was in glass and had cream on top.
Butcher meat wasn't pre-packed like in the super-rip markets, chooks and cows were not full of chemicals.

Many years back on late-night TV, was a program titled something like the real America.
They developed the perfect caged chook, it was huge and full of meat, chemically bred.
It could hardly walk, let alone fly a meter.
The only problem was it also lost all it's chook flavour, so they artificially flavoured the f---er.

A mate used to tell me "It's progress". I thought yeah, and no way it's ever going to stop, so I ran for the hills, where my kids could grow up with simple things like we did, they also got around on pushbikes, like we did.
Sadly, now the local mountain people are dying off or moving away.
Suburban people move in for a better life, why they bring the bad habits with them, I just can't fathom.
After bin night I have to pick up trash as they no longer think it's theirs, and the wind will just blow it into the bush.
My bit of front bush is the only bit not taken over by the weeds, started in their yards as they have no idea about sticking with native species. The only bush care now is me and my brush cutter, and Zero
Bandicoots are on the comeback, and these westies are spewing, and want them gone after seeing the little round holes in their lawns. They are talking like they spread ticks and likely worse. They would kill them if they could.
Imagine what they thought of the huge 7-8' black Diamond Python that settled in our yards for a few months. It was a treat when it crossed my front veranda to spend the night in the garden rockery. I hope they didn't kill him.
I would put up some great photos, but I have not succeeded in that on here so far.

It's sad what the cities have become, as they were OK when I was a boy.
I think the 15-minute city thing is just an excuse because the congestion means you can't just drive across anymore.

[bladeracer]

I was living in the car for five days for the Vic Cowboy state titles. But when I go bush on foot I do the same, I'm not fussy about food. I don't need hot drinks or hot food, I just need something with some energy to keep me going and bulk to fill the empty hole. I don't mind compressing a loaf of bread down into a three-inch-square cube to fit it in the pack, it still contains all the ingredients I want from it.

For bringing fresh meat home I would want ice boxes.

Agreed about food generally, the less contact with plastic packaging the better. We might have a take-away feed maybe every eight weeks or so, we had some Chinese last month that was really nice. I don't mind fish and chips a couple times a year, or a pizza, but I can't do the fast-food rubbish. All I drink is water, and a few litres of pure fruit juice through the year. Eat lots of fruit from our own orchards and from friends' orchards, same with vegetables. We put two of our cows in the freezers a couple months back, and we'll do another one probably around the end of May.

We love our snakes, spiders and other critters. Had a fat Red Belly Black at the pistol club last week.

Cool, are you car camping, or walking backcountry in the high country?
I don't have a fridge, but take a medium-sized esky with frozen water bottles, good for a few days if kept in the shade.
It's more for bringing veno home, just how I do it, butcher warm, vac-pack, and chuck it in to cool slowly.
After a big 1-day hunt including 4hrs drive, I just get home and chuck it in the fridge, lock up the rifle and veg out.

The only answer I have in modern life is balance and moderation.
Junk food no more than once a week. I like beer so limit to 2 nights and don't start till 5pm.
Seems to work as I can maintain a steady weight.
I trained twice a week with cardio and weights from about age 48 to 60, but it's a vicious circle with a bad back and the rest of the body a bit well-worn.

A mate pigged out on 3 hot dogs, known as a highly processed death food.
His doctor went through the results and said what in hell did you eat.
It must have shown clearly.

Maybe spam is the better tasting one, but I think I will just stay clear and try the corned veno sooner or later.

Now they are finding that it may be the chemicals leaching out of the plastic wrappings that is causing the scary increase in youth cancers and when you think back to childhood days, milk was in glass and had cream on top.
Butcher meat wasn't pre-packed like in the super-rip markets, chooks and cows were not full of chemicals.

Many years back on late-night TV, was a program titled something like the real America.
They developed the perfect caged chook, it was huge and full of meat, chemically bred.
It could hardly walk, let alone fly a meter.
The only problem was it also lost all it's chook flavour, so they artificially flavoured the f---er.

A mate used to tell me "It's progress". I thought yeah, and no way it's ever going to stop, so I ran for the hills, where my kids could grow up with simple things like we did, they also got around on pushbikes, like we did.
Sadly, now the local mountain people are dying off or moving away.
Suburban people move in for a better life, why they bring the bad habits with them, I just can't fathom.
After bin night I have to pick up trash as they no longer think it's theirs, and the wind will just blow it into the bush.
My bit of front bush is the only bit not taken over by the weeds, started in their yards as they have no idea about sticking with native species. The only bush care now is me and my brush cutter, and Zero
Bandicoots are on the comeback, and these westies are spewing, and want them gone after seeing the little round holes in their lawns. They are talking like they spread ticks and likely worse. They would kill them if they could.
Imagine what they thought of the huge 7-8' black Diamond Python that settled in our yards for a few months. It was a treat when it crossed my front veranda to spend the night in the garden rockery. I hope they didn't kill him.
I would put up some great photos, but I have not succeeded in that on here so far.

It's sad what the cities have become, as they were OK when I was a boy.
I think the 15-minute city thing is just an excuse because the congestion means you can't just drive across anymore.

[Fester]

Nice, I wish I could look at food that way, it's like a necessity luxury.
To go away, the least I need is snags and an egg on bread for dinner and sangas or something for lunch.
Breaky is just coffee.

In reality, you could get by with bread and noodles but I may have got old and soft.
When I get home, I generally have the bag of food that I didn't eat.

Cowboy would be fun shooting, not so sure about dressing up though.
I have set up a swag and stretcher as it would be OK for a road trip, just hard to pick the stable weather now and that could make or break it.

[Finniss]

Blade, you remind me of my better days. Food was just energy and a waste of time to prepare, i would buy a bag of meal replacement powder and drink that 2 meals a day. I never took food or water on most hunts, figured i had 2 days before I dehydrated so wasn't gonna die on a day hunt. A week trip in the car would be tinned chunky soups and tuna. Wasn't gonna waste time cooking, dealing with fridges or ice.

Unfortunately ive become a bit soft now as the mrs loves fancy cooking and I reap the rewards. Still cant be bothered doing much cooking for myself though.

[bladeracer]

Nice, I wish I could look at food that way, it's like a necessity luxury.
To go away, the least I need is snags and an egg on bread for dinner and sangas or something for lunch.
Breaky is just coffee.

In reality, you could get by with bread and noodles but I may have got old and soft.
When I get home, I generally have the bag of food that I didn't eat.

Cowboy would be fun shooting, not so sure about dressing up though.
I have set up a swag and stretcher as it would be OK for a road trip, just hard to pick the stable weather now and that could make or break it.

I can't smell, which I think takes a lot of the flavour away, I just eat because I have to
I haven't drunk tea or coffee since I was a kid. I'm the same, I generally bring home a fair bit of what I took with me.

I can't get my head around the costumery either, but it's a required part of it as it's the "excuse" that allows us to shoot the competitions with the firearms we use. I never got into westerns, and I've tried since I got into the shooting to get some ideas for the outfits, but most are just rubbish. I loved Terrance Hill's Trinity when I was a kid, and can still enjoy those now. To get a feel for the Wild Bunch competition I've tried to watch the movie several times, but I struggle to sit through the first ten minutes of it. The "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" series are pretty tolerable though.

Basically, I think the firm rules are no T-shirts, no velcro, no ball caps. Cowboy hats are required and there are some required items that you can also wear: neckerchiefs, pocket-watch chains, spurs, chaps, belt buckle, and such. I still have no idea what the various categories are. They're based around which firearms you use, how you shoot them, what you wear, and your age. I love shooting black, but can't always guarantee I'll have time to load enough black for a whole match. So I just enter whatever category they put me in and shoot black anyway.
https://youtu.be/F30r6igyEDU
Most Cowboys are just doing it for the enjoyment and the people they meet doing it, so don't get too caught up in the minutia of the gear. Lots of people just wear work boots, denim jeans, a checked shirt or a vest, and a hat.

I'm just shooting the basic Cowboy (two pistols, lever rifle, double shotgun) matches and "Pat Garrett" (same as Cowboy but add another lever rifle in rifle-caliber - .45-70 or .30-30) at the moment. I don't have a single-shot rifle to shoot "Plainsman" (cap and ball revolvers, shotgun, and single-shot cartridge rifle), and I don't have a .45 1911 to shoot "Wild Bunch" yet (1911, double or lever shotgun, lever-action rifle). The Wild Bunch state titles are in four weeks so if I can find a cheap 1911 in time I'll be up for that. "Frontiersman" (blackpowder cartridge I think and pistols shot one-handed) is another category, and NSW also does "Pioneer", which is more Aussie - one pistol and a five-shot lever-action rifle, plus the shotgun. Over the weekend I fired 153rds of .38 Special, 178rds of .44-40, 63rds of 12 gauge, all blackpowder, plus 31rds of smokeless .30-30, 21rds of .45ACP, and 10rds of .22LR.

Just been looking at the calendar today. Hoping I can get to Nowra, NSW for April 10-12, then Virginia, SA for the SA State Titles the following weekend (17-19), then be back here for the ANZAC shoot at Little River the following Saturday. No time to reload ammo in between so I have four weeks to load at least 400rds of .38 Special, 800rds of .44-40, 300 12 gauge, and about 50 .30-30. I want to have both black and smokeless for each in case of issues with using black but I can't see me getting all that lot loaded in smokeless as well. Luckily I have enough .303 already for the ANZAC. There is a match at Wodonga on May 9/10 which would be good as Rose would join me for that one. Then the NSW State Titles at Bathurst on June 3-7. After that lot I think I'll be up for a rest before the nationals at Virginia, SA in October.

[bladeracer]

Blade, you remind me of my better days. Food was just energy and a waste of time to prepare, i would buy a bag of meal replacement powder and drink that 2 meals a day. I never took food or water on most hunts, figured i had 2 days before I dehydrated so wasn't gonna die on a day hunt. A week trip in the car would be tinned chunky soups and tuna. Wasn't gonna waste time cooking, dealing with fridges or ice.

Unfortunately ive become a bit soft now as the mrs loves fancy cooking and I reap the rewards. Still cant be bothered doing much cooking for myself though.

I've never been a cook and could happily live in a house without a kitchen, and never even miss it. I would on rare occasions put a carton of eggs in a pot on the stove and boil them for twenty minutes, for handy snacks. Some cheese melted on bread is nice occasionally, and I'll even fry up a steak now and then. But cooking seems to be wasted effort for something I'm just going to eat

The nineteen days I spent living in the van last year was loafs of wholemeal and raisin bread, cans of chunky soups and beans, biscuits, muesli bars, cheese and such. I bought a couple boxes of frozen apple pies but they thawed out the first day, and on day seven had started growing very bitter black mould on top so I had to toss the last two.

When I go bush on foot for more than one night I'll put muesli bars in my pockets (in case I lose my kit somehow and have to survive a night or two), a couple cans of salmon, maybe a can of Spam, a few apples, a loaf of bread (preferably with fruit in it), and a bag or two of butterscotch lollies in my jacket pockets for sucking on while I'm walking. I never used to carry water when I was a kid as I drank from the creeks. But after I got severely poisoned drinking from the Torrens River in 2006 I take lots of water with me, way more than I need. I carry two Life Straws as well, but I have more faith in clean tank water from home than sucking muddy water out of some wallow in the bush because I was too soft to carry water with me Even sitting at home at my desk I drink at least two litres a day, and two or three times that at the height of summer.

Rose loves cooking, and she especially loves cooking for more than just herself. If she only has to feed herself she tends to do something pretty basic, but when she has to cook to feed me and her mum she does quite a spread, every night, including cakes, crumbles or something else for dessert.

[Finniss]

Haha, Some similarities there...a quick run of the blowtorch over cheese on bread works wonders.

Your rough/efficient camping just sparked a memory of bike trips where my shelter and bedding was a wetsuit under my bike gear and sleep in the dirt, helmet still on for warmth. No good when your breath on the visor dripped back in your face though...

[bladeracer]

Haha, Some similarities there...a quick run of the blowtorch over cheese on bread works wonders.

Your rough/efficient camping just sparked a memory of bike trips where my shelter and bedding was a wetsuit under my bike gear and sleep in the dirt, helmet still on for warmth. No good when your breath on the visor dripped back in your face though...

I've slept in my leather and lid, and it's pretty cozy, except for the knee sliders, they leave me with some aches and pains the next day I think it was Kimba I pulled into too late to get fuel, so I slept on the steps of a church behind my bike. Got woken up next morning by some kids throwing pebbles at me
This was my sleeping spot on a trip across the Nullabor, just pulled a hundred meters into the bush and lay down beside the bike in my leather.

2200km in 24hrs.jpg (525.32 KiB) Viewed 16 times

My first away shoot in my car last year I just took a cupboard door to lie on. My hips, knees and shoulders were aching after three nights of sleeping on wood. The following trip I stopped at Clark Rubber and bought a two-inch foam mattress, so much better

When I go bush I carry a hootchie in case of rain but I just sleep on the ground, or on my rain poncho if the ground is damp. My ski suit (jacket and trousers) becomes my sleeping bag and I wrap scrim net around my face to keep the mozzies out. With the hood cinched around my face, sleeves cinched around my gloves, skirt cinched around my thighs, and trousers bloused over my boots nothing gets inside. I don't want to waste any time setting anything up, or tidying anything up, or have to use a torch in the pre-dawn dark. I wake up, put the poncho back into its pouch, pull my webbing on (it's my pillow), clip my rifle on, and head off. Once I've warmed up I can take the ski suit off and pouch it as well. I have taken my swag into the bush once, for backup when it was really cold and wet, but didn't use it. I didn't want to have to deal with trying to roll it back up in the dark so I didn't bother unrolling it and used it as a pillow instead. I found a collapsed wombat hole that made a perfect foxhole with my woobie over the top.